Constituents are threatening to kill not just Democratic officials but officials of either party who stand up to the Big Lie.
Republican officials like Cotton, Sasse, and Cruz are both villains and cowards. They are playing to the gallery of the most important segment of the Republican rank and file, and they are doing so through creatin…
Constituents are threatening to kill not just Democratic officials but officials of either party who stand up to the Big Lie.
Republican officials like Cotton, Sasse, and Cruz are both villains and cowards. They are playing to the gallery of the most important segment of the Republican rank and file, and they are doing so through creating soundbites and clips for monsters like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham to propagate on their shows.
As for the response of Democrats during the hearing, it appears to have been mixed.
***Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) fired back at the Republican claims, noting the only action the memo requests is for meetings to be held to discuss strategies to discourage, identify and potentially prosecute threats. Booker also criticized how fellow Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who serves as committee chairman, was handling the meeting, saying he repeatedly allowed Republican senators to speak past their seven minutes of allotted time.***
***The NSBA has since apologized for the language in its letter following fierce backlash from parents and several state school board associations, as well as Republican officials. But while Garland acknowledged that his memo had been issued, in part, in response to the NSBA’s request for federal law enforcement assistance, he stood by the guidance released by the Justice Department, which, he emphasized, contained no references to domestic terrorism or the Patriot Act.
“I did not adopt every concern in their letter,” Garland said when asked by Grassley if he would rescind his memo in light of the NSBA’s apology. “I adopted only the concern about violence and threats of violence, and that hasn’t changed.”
Nonetheless, Republicans continued to conflate Garland’s memo with the NSBA’s letter, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accused the attorney general of applying a domestic terrorist label to the father of a reported sexual assault victim at a Virginia school.
“I never called him that,” exclaimed a visibly frustrated Garland. “That’s not correct.” The man in question had been arrested for disorderly conduct at a school board meeting in June.
The attorney general also attempted to dispute the notion put forth by a number of Republicans that the Justice Department guidance was intended to quell free speech, engaging in a terse back-and-forth with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who repeatedly asked whether Garland considered “the chilling impact your memorandum would have on parents exercising their constitutional rights.”
“I don't believe it’s reasonable to read this memo as chilling anyone’s rights,” said Garland, insisting that it “expressly recognizes the constitutional right to make arguments about your children’s education.” In fact, the second line of the one-page missive reads: “While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection doesn’t extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views.”
Garland said the threats against school board members are part of “a rising tide of violence” targeting a range of public figures, from teachers and election administrators to members of Congress and the media.
“A core responsibility of the Justice Department is protecting Americans from violence and threats of violence,” he said.
Some Senate Democrats came to Garland’s defense, including the committee’s chairman, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who said that those who dismiss the dangers currently faced by school board members are “out of touch with reality.”
“If you don't believe me, type ‘school board violence’ into your computer and take a look at what’s happening,” said Durbin, reading off a handful of examples of the news articles he encountered during such a search.***
Constituents are threatening to kill not just Democratic officials but officials of either party who stand up to the Big Lie.
Republican officials like Cotton, Sasse, and Cruz are both villains and cowards. They are playing to the gallery of the most important segment of the Republican rank and file, and they are doing so through creating soundbites and clips for monsters like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham to propagate on their shows.
As for the response of Democrats during the hearing, it appears to have been mixed.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/10/27/resign-in-disgrace-gop-senators-blast-garland-over-investigating-threats-against-school-boards/
***Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) fired back at the Republican claims, noting the only action the memo requests is for meetings to be held to discuss strategies to discourage, identify and potentially prosecute threats. Booker also criticized how fellow Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who serves as committee chairman, was handling the meeting, saying he repeatedly allowed Republican senators to speak past their seven minutes of allotted time.***
https://twitter.com/i/status/1453423720744292353
Also:
https://news.yahoo.com/ag-garland-defends-memo-on-threats-against-school-board-officials-205453500.html
***The NSBA has since apologized for the language in its letter following fierce backlash from parents and several state school board associations, as well as Republican officials. But while Garland acknowledged that his memo had been issued, in part, in response to the NSBA’s request for federal law enforcement assistance, he stood by the guidance released by the Justice Department, which, he emphasized, contained no references to domestic terrorism or the Patriot Act.
“I did not adopt every concern in their letter,” Garland said when asked by Grassley if he would rescind his memo in light of the NSBA’s apology. “I adopted only the concern about violence and threats of violence, and that hasn’t changed.”
Nonetheless, Republicans continued to conflate Garland’s memo with the NSBA’s letter, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accused the attorney general of applying a domestic terrorist label to the father of a reported sexual assault victim at a Virginia school.
“I never called him that,” exclaimed a visibly frustrated Garland. “That’s not correct.” The man in question had been arrested for disorderly conduct at a school board meeting in June.
The attorney general also attempted to dispute the notion put forth by a number of Republicans that the Justice Department guidance was intended to quell free speech, engaging in a terse back-and-forth with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who repeatedly asked whether Garland considered “the chilling impact your memorandum would have on parents exercising their constitutional rights.”
“I don't believe it’s reasonable to read this memo as chilling anyone’s rights,” said Garland, insisting that it “expressly recognizes the constitutional right to make arguments about your children’s education.” In fact, the second line of the one-page missive reads: “While spirited debate about policy matters is protected under our Constitution, that protection doesn’t extend to threats of violence or efforts to intimidate individuals based on their views.”
Garland said the threats against school board members are part of “a rising tide of violence” targeting a range of public figures, from teachers and election administrators to members of Congress and the media.
“A core responsibility of the Justice Department is protecting Americans from violence and threats of violence,” he said.
Some Senate Democrats came to Garland’s defense, including the committee’s chairman, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who said that those who dismiss the dangers currently faced by school board members are “out of touch with reality.”
“If you don't believe me, type ‘school board violence’ into your computer and take a look at what’s happening,” said Durbin, reading off a handful of examples of the news articles he encountered during such a search.***